This film is not only about rape. It is about what it means to be a man, and what it means to be a woman. It shows what it means to have nothing, and to have everything.

It is about love and hope. It is about poverty and what poverty means in a world where someone has something and you have nothing. It is about what it means to be a parent, and a child. It is about what a parent can do for a child, and what a child can in return.

It is not just about India. It is about our society. It is about our collective histories. It is about our future.

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/you-must-watch-indias-daughter.html/feed0You too can contribute to #Czipleefloodreliefhttp://blog.nikicheong.com/you-too-can-contribute-to-czipleefloodrelief.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/you-too-can-contribute-to-czipleefloodrelief.html#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 06:27:05 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4776When the terrible floods – dubbed the worst Malaysia had seen in decades! – occurred, I wasn’t in the country.

In fact, I was so lost in the luxury of my holiday that I barely kept up with the news. It was only when I read the news on the airplane on the way home that the magnitude of what had happen hit me. Still, I was due to fly out again a couple of days after and therefore, I couldn’t be of much use.

I had meant to do some shopping in those couple of days and drop the stuff off at some relief centre, but with an impending deadline and having to play host to a visiting friend, things just got hectic. I did manage to write about the floods (amid other tragedies Malaysia faced in 2014) in this The Bangsar Boy article, and make a small contribution to a friend who was going to do a massive shopping spree for relief items.

When Alvin from Cziplee messaged me to inform me about the relief effort that the store was undertaking to help school children who had lost everything in the floods, I was again about to fly out (tough life, I know). Again, I made a small contribution (you too can contribute RM25 per kit which is worth over RM52!). I was unable to help out with the packing of the first 2,000 kits last weekend.

Yesterday, however, was a different story. Buoyed by the response, Cziplee brought together almost 50 (by my estimation) people to help pack 5,000 kits. It took us just under four hours to get it all done, but it was a great sight seeing so many people come together and work tirelessly to help.

This post isn’t really about how much work everyone is doing but really a call out to you to help make contributions. Because we have packed all those kits yesterday, they are ready to go the moment donations come in. Last update from Cziplee is as follows:

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/you-too-can-contribute-to-czipleefloodrelief.html/feed0#AirAsia #QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore missinghttp://blog.nikicheong.com/storify-airasia-qz8501-from-surabaya-to-singapore-loses-contact-at-7-24am.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/storify-airasia-qz8501-from-surabaya-to-singapore-loses-contact-at-7-24am.html#commentsSun, 28 Dec 2014 04:58:46 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4769In the morning of Dec 28, 2014, an AirAsia flight QZ8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia, heading to Singapore was reported missing. It was due to land at about 8.30am, and as of 3.25pm, it has still not been found. Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing. In the past, with the disappearance of MH370 and the shooting down of MH17, I had used my social media networks – Twitter, Facebook and more – to keep friends updated as I sieved through streams of information to figure out for myself what the real story is.

In this day and age of misinformation and disinformation, I feel it is important that users like myself are discerning with the information we receive, especially if we’re going to share it. This time, I decided to curate these news bits using Storify instead.

Note: AirAsia has created a dedicated page for its statement. It has also created an emergency call centre for family members (+622129270811). Media inquiries at +622129270831.

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/storify-airasia-qz8501-from-surabaya-to-singapore-loses-contact-at-7-24am.html/feed0I’ve quit Uber: No going Blackhttp://blog.nikicheong.com/ive-quit-uber-no-going-black.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/ive-quit-uber-no-going-black.html#commentsSun, 14 Dec 2014 04:56:09 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4764My friend who is with MyTeksi often refers to me as a Uber fanboy. I love the service, yes.

However, I’ve not used it in quite a few weeks and won’t be using it in the near future because of a moral dilemma, which I shall explain below:

The article – written following revelations of ethical impropriety by Uber in the US – was about how we as users need to demand and expect a lot more from digital companies that we have so freely shared our information and data with. I suggested that we needed to find ways to keep them accountable, and one way in which to do this was to boycott them. I did note a flaw though:

There is already a strong movement to delete the Uber app in the US — reports indicate that removal of the app over the past few days is higher than usual — but it is equally important to speak out and pressure these organisations into doing the right thing.

However, with the kind support and backing many of these companies have both morally and financially, often times such efforts only cause a slight glitch.

Earlier this morning, I read a piece by John D. Sutter on CNN about the same issue, titled: “I just can’t quit you, Uber”

In talking about a variety of digital-based services (as was I in my piece), John wrote:

“… its services are so freaking convenient I can’t quit them.

This focus on convenience — and a lacking public discussion about the moral and economic consequences of certain technological advances or, more to the point, the companies that are making billions by pushing forward those advances — gives the tech sector incredible power over consumers that, to me, seems unprecedented.”

It’s true. I too am caught in this moral web of dilemma which is why I’m still happily sharing my information with numerous companies which have made dubious ethical decisions. But that is because I haven’t yet found a good enough alternative.

In the case of Uber, I have now opted to use the executive Blue taxis – they cost a bit more than regular taxis (although, about the same as UberBlack I think) but spares me from the things I dislike about regular taxis. I haven’t yet deleted the Uber app from my phone – I suppose in certain circumstances where I have to use it, I will but only because it is to my convenience. Hence the dilemma.

John Sutter ended his piece saying:

Lacy has deleted Uber from her phone, both because of the statement it sends and because she fears for her safety when using the service. I’m considering the same, and did download Lyft this afternoon.

But here’s a confession I know is both shameful and very 2014 America: I’d still like a protest that’s more convenient.

I think he is right. In these circumstances, protests will only gain traction if people find convenient alternatives because such services is so embedded into our lives. A friend of mine noted on Facebook that she has gone back to “obnoxious individuals in taxis” instead of taking Uber; my compromise is to use a service I don’t normally use (and have to pay a bit more for). I hope that everyone of you find your alternative and send a clear message to companies to show that users should not be taken for granted.

Speaking of which, I’m also trying to find ways to reclaim my content instead of giving it freely to social network sites. I found an alternative in TinyLetter, and in 2015, will start using it as a primary way of connecting with my friends and readers with regards to my professional work and writings. I hope you’ll connect with me there by signing up easily below:

Oh, and I’m also playing around with Medium as an alternative writing platform. If you’re reading this piece on there (or any of my previous posts) and like it, I’d love for you to use the recommend feature (below – just a click of a button!) so more people will be able to check this out. Thanks!

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/ive-quit-uber-no-going-black.html/feed1#SomebodyLikeMe campaign for World AIDS Dayhttp://blog.nikicheong.com/somebodylikeme-campaign-for-world-aids-day.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/somebodylikeme-campaign-for-world-aids-day.html#commentsMon, 01 Dec 2014 13:43:40 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4754Since 1997, I have marked Dec 1 – World AIDS Day – in some form or other.

In college, my friends and I put together a HIV/AIDS themes performance. In Australia, I handed out red ribbons in the heart of Perth city to the public. At R.AGE, we do special editions of our pull out (twice winning the Red Ribbon Award).

Over the past few years, I have joined some local personalities to spread awareness through campaigns. In 2010, it was AIDSAware. Last year, and again this year, it is with Durex’s #SomebodyLikeMe campaign.

I usually also do something on my own. If I go out, I’ll wear the Red Ribbon. On social media, I’ll share information, articles and more about the issue. One year, I sat down and made tons of red ribbons which I then distributed to all my colleagues at a college I was teaching at. When I got to London in 2011 and didn’t know what to do, I did a 5K run for charity (thanks to those who contributed) in the freezing cold!

I also make sure I mark the date in my writing. This year, I spent the whole morning of World AIDS Day writing my The Bangsar Boy column which will be published on Wednesday. I talk about everything I mentioned above, as a way to encourage people to go out and do their own thing with causes close to their hearts.

For me, there are some causes which I feel strongly about. Over the past few years, I’ve been working hard on projects that bring people together and spread positivity. After I lost a close aunt to cancer, and after my dad survived it, I took some time to work with the National Cancer Society of Malaysia to help with fundraising, among other things.

HIV/AIDS however is my oldest cause and still remains an important one to me.

This year, I was again asked to write a statement to accompany my photo for the campaign. This is what I went with:

#SomebodyLikeMe imagines a world where everybody is safe!

Check out #SomebodyLikeMe’s website to join the conversation, and watch a music video featuring Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Amber Chia, Danny One, An Honest Mistake, my former student Diandra and more. I couldn’t make it for the video as I was out of town, but happy to support such a cause.

My wish for this World AIDS Day is for everyone to be more aware about HIV/AIDS, that there be less judging and stigmatising of people living with the disease (it’s not only an emotional appeal, this can help reduce numbers too because then more people will test themselves) and for us to get to HIV zero in the near future.

Cilisos published a piece today about some facts related to HIV/AIDS and Malaysia. Check it out.

9.35pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/somebodylikeme-campaign-for-world-aids-day.html/feed0No, Zahid Hamidi, don’t “firewall” the Internet pleasehttp://blog.nikicheong.com/no-zahid-hamidi-dont-firewall-the-internet-please.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/no-zahid-hamidi-dont-firewall-the-internet-please.html#commentsTue, 25 Nov 2014 16:01:02 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4742If this Malay Mail article is anything to go by, it would appear that the Government is looking to turn back on the Bill of Guarantees adopted in the early days of the Multimedia Super Corridor which promises no censorship of the Internet in this country.

It’s not the first time the idea of censorship has been raised by a Minister – this time it is Home Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi – and the truth is that many websites have already been banned (or attempted to be banned).

A couple of quick disclaimers before I go on:

Only the Malay Mail Online has reported this, I’ve not seen it in any other popular media outlets. Most of the other articles I’ve read on the Internet source this article. Although the Home Minister hasn’t yet come out to deny that he made that comment, I’m going to write this article on the assumption that he did say it (MMO had recently apologised for misquoting the AG, as I blogged about previously).

I know you can’t exactly “firewall the Internet” so don’t attack me for the headline – I was just trying to be clever. A. Asohan, in his brilliance, has explained why the firewall mentioned might not actually be a firewall.

I also won’t go on about the feasibility of such a “firewall”, or how people can get around it if some sort of system does indeed get implemented. Asohan’s article also nicely explains all that, on top of taking on the issue of Zahid’s statement on “religious responsibly” with regards to censorship.

I do, however, have some other thoughts on why censoring the Internet is such a bad idea (as advice to Zahid or anyone else who would consider such actions in the future) – besides the resistance is futile argument.

When I first read that article, all I could really think about was what kind of impact this would have on the image of our country. Granted, some public personalities in Malaysia (not just politicians) seems hell bent on getting us into international media for the strangest – and sometimes, truly absurd – reasons but censorship of the Internet is to me a different beast.

This is not something people will laugh at us about, or just dismiss as something that’s come out of a struggling developing nation.

The discourse on Internet censorship is very real and has been subjected to extensive research and focus, not just by the media but also governments, activists and academics. The implications of censorship goes beyond the notion of defending cultural (and in this case, religious) values. If such a system is implemented, there is no saying what it can be used for.

And the global narrative – and this is a legitimate one – is that Internet is usually censored to stifle dissent, as an attempt to strengthen authoritarian regimes and generally, a method for control of society. Can we not see why? After all, just look at the various lists of countries known or flagged for censorship of the Internet – do we really want to join in the ranks of China, Burma, Cuba, North Korea and Iran, among others?

I know that “human rightism” isn’t exactly in favour these days in Malaysia, but surely – in having newly been given a seat on the UN Security Council, and all this talk of moderation by our Prime Minister – that we want to distance ourselves from the oppressive image that the countries I listed above have been tagged with because of, among other things, the way they have controlled the Internet.

Then, there is also the impact that such actions will have on the amazing content that is coming out of our country. YouTube was singled out in the article, and one can only imagine how this would impact the works of some really talented Malaysians who have gone on to receive international acclaim. If YouTube was blocked a few years ago, the world would never have been introduced to the music of Yuna or Zee Avi for example. Some of our YouTubers themselves are internationally renowned and our film industry is slowly making waves around the world – our directors are being invited to present their shows at prestigious festivals the world over, and our producers are being invited to judge at equally prestigious events.

What’s more, YouTube has over the past few years helped citizens and the authorities to nab wrongdoers – we’ve saved a tiger, caught animal abusers, identified kidnap victims and more through the amazing virality that the site affords (with help from social networking sites).

And speaking of going viral, anyone who is considering censorship also needs to understand that platforms on the Internet are aplenty – if there was no YouTube, there is Vimeo, Facebook video and many more. Will all these be affected by the censorship system as well? How far are we willing to go?

The Streisand Effect is well and truly alive, and if you attempt to censor something, people are going to want to look out for it more. The wonderful thing about the ubiquity of the Internet is that someone, somewhere will find a way around things. YouTube (and the other sites I mention) are not exclusive domains for video. If people wants to share something, they will find a way – messaging apps are a great alternative and we have seen the impact of such apps to mobilise movements in countries around the world: Firechat in Hong Kong is a recent example, and the London Riots in 2011 is also referred to as the Blackberry Revolution. Torrents are another great avenue.

I ask again, how far are we willing to go? The only way to really get around all of this is to switch off the Internet – are we willing to sacrifice all those years of promoting the use of Internet technologies? All the government implementations to go digital? All the effort to achieve developed nation status in the near future?

Citizens don’t need the state to protect them (or control them for that matter) through censorship. What we need is trust, transparency and education. No doubt, bad things happen on the Internet and yes, people with bad intentions can misuse the Internet.

But as much as governments need the trust of the people, the people too need the trust by governments to know how to lead their own lives, make their own decisions and to look out for each other. We need to empower people to take on these responsibilities and not by dumbing them down by making decisions on their behalf.

Dear Home Minister, I implore you to reconsider this decision for the reasons I stated above, and many others. And if by any chance you didn’t say it, then take this opportunity to make things clear. The Internet is a great place for you to upload a short video or just post a copy of your speech or statement online to clear the air. Provided none of those platforms are censored, of course.

11.45 Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/no-zahid-hamidi-dont-firewall-the-internet-please.html/feed0Arus Gangsa by Rhythm in Bronzehttp://blog.nikicheong.com/arus-gangsa-by-rhythm-in-bronze.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/arus-gangsa-by-rhythm-in-bronze.html#commentsSun, 23 Nov 2014 10:43:51 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4739I first discovered the gamelan instruments at KLpac when I used to head in frequently for rehearsals (back when I was still doing theatre).

Over the years, I have heard people raving about the performances by Rhythm in Bronze. Each time I attend a Cameronian Arts Awards ceremony, it would seem like they’d be nominated (and win). Yet, after all these years, I’ve never watched a single performance by them (apologies to them for stealing the photo below from their Facebook page).

What a fool I’ve been because if all their shows are as good as Arus Gangsa, which I just watched earlier this afternoon – I’ve been missing out!

Now, I’m not musically inclined at all (the only musical instrument I play is the radio) but I was equally entertained, captivated and inspired this afternoon.

Arus Gangsa uses water as its theme, and in two halves told so many stories. By the time the first half ended, I didn’t want to leave the auditorium. It was that good.

My favourite piece was Corak Air because I didn’t imagine the intensity that could emerge from those instruments. In the first song Mirage, the ensemble beautifully shared the wonderful sounds of the Gamelan but it didn’t prepare me for what was about to come next. I was literally at the edge of my seat for most of that song.

In contrast, Return quickly showcased how playful music could be as well – if Corak Air had me holding my breathe the whole time, then this one would have me heaving from bopping around. And the lighting and projection that came along with it worked really well too to add theatrics to a show.

It was tough – throughout the first half, I wanted to close my eyes to just enjoy the music (and Stephanie Van Driesen’s amazing vocals!) but at the same time, so much was happening on stage particularly the different way each performer played on the different instruments and when they interacted with each other. None of this was more pronounced than in Hakikat Air which was nothing short of breathtaking – even the choreography!

I really didn’t expect so much from a concert featuring traditional musical instruments. I’m so glad that after all the rave reviews I saw on Facebook from friends that I decided to ask my sister along to catch the show.

Little did I know.

The second half was highly theatrical and less “concert”-like. For me, it started off slow but midway throught he Love Story, I was once again captured not just in the music but in the performance. There’s something so artistic about what the instruments require from the performers (or maybe it was just bloody good performers who made it feel that way!). Masks, puppets and more, the second half was quite spectacular, but no more so than Mantera Nelayan which was amazingly haunting and the perfect way to end the show.

Before that, the Genbabla felt like a fun break but that simple setting brought out some fantastic sounds.

I’m sorry but I can’t stop raving about it. You can bet that I’ll make sure to catch the next show they put on. I’m even tempted to just drive back there now for their last show tonight (tickets are still available at the door if you’re interested).

6.42pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/arus-gangsa-by-rhythm-in-bronze.html/feed0The problem with how we react on social mediahttp://blog.nikicheong.com/the-problem-with-how-we-react-on-social-media.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/the-problem-with-how-we-react-on-social-media.html#commentsWed, 19 Nov 2014 11:47:31 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4730So, The Malay Mail Online has edited the story, republished it and issued an apology. All that’s well, ends well?

If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, The Malay Mail Online (Update: Been informed since that this incident involves the online team, not the print team) earlier this afternoon published a story headlined:

Inter-racial marriages put national harmony at risk, AG says

Like many others who read the article, I was upset that Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail could even suggest this. However, not long after, I received a tweet suggesting that I was “pretending to be stupid” by taking the AG’s statement out of context when all I was doing was responding to a news report. My natural response was to look for the statement. I couldn’t find it but Syahredzan, who was also tagged in that “pretending to be stupid” tweet did. And when I read the excerpt for the statement, I concluded that one of two things happened:

1. The Malay Mail had taken what the AG said out of context. His speech reads:

In this regard, the failure of the converting spouses to resolve the family arrangements prior to conversion and in fact, attempting to use the different jurisdictions of the civil and Syariah courts to their advantage, jeopardizes not only family harmony but potentially national harmony.

2. The Malay Mail misrepresented the AG’s statement. However, they have since apologised and attribute it to an error.

The erroneous report was unintentional and has since been removed. Malay Mail Online apologises for the misreporting.

I’m less concerned here about what people’s thoughts are about the AG’s statement. Having read the excerpt, I personally think that it was a fair assessment of the situation. Still, others are still not accepting this as appropriate language from an AG and that is their prerogative.

What I have been thinking about since the actual speech had circulated around (to correct The Malay Mail Online article before it did) and since the corrected article appeared is about how people has been responding to the original article. The headline was no doubt provocative and, if true, I can’t blame many people for reacting with anger the way they did.

From a digital culture perspective, I noticed two things:

1. Never mind that people were still sharing the article (which no longer exists), people were still leaving comments of their dissatisfaction and anger even after the article had been taken down. This means that they definitely didn’t read the article because that link now only leads you to a generic page (although the URL with the original headline remains).

2. Even after the corrections made its way, I still saw people posting the original article on Facebook. Because the article doesn’t exist anymore, I’m assuming people were sharing their friends’ posts of the original article. Which also means that they probably did not read the article before posting or commenting (some people still comment in anger, even after other “commentors” had noted the inaccuracy and correction).

This behaviour is no doubt problematic. It is common for social media users to share, ReTweet and Like things without actually reading (there has been many articles/journals written about this – it’s how some media organisations get their traffic through sensational or abstract headlines, why clickbaiting is so successful and more). How to deal with this behaviour (if there is even a solution other than more education) is for another article.

I don’t have a solution. But what I am more concerned here is how – knowing that people behave that way – we make sure that the inaccurate report stops circulating, or at least slows down. The corrected article isn’t as likely to spread as quickly because it is less provocative. What’s more, not everyone is constantly glued to social media and therefore, might have moved on from the issue after venting at the original article. Of course, there are those who just choose to ignore the corrections even after being alerted to it.

One way that I deal with it personally is to correct my Twitter posts. I don’t delete the inaccurate posts (I believe they should remain as record) but I tweet not only the corrected article (perhaps as a retweet), but I also sent subsequent tweets mentioning the correct article, the changes and in this case, I apologised for my reaction (although I stand by it, had the original article correctly represented the AG’s statement).

Another thing I do as well is to leave comments on my friends’ updates on Facebook, if no one has corrected them yet. Today, I either mentioned the misquote or “miscontext” or I posted a link to the corrected article and apology. Some friends obviously are more grateful than others for this!

But that is all I can really do – it’s not really my responsibility to correct all of social media and I don’t have the resources to do so even if I wanted to.

For this reason, I think that media organisations – and anyone who publishes really (including bloggers, social media users and more) – need to take an extended responsibility. It’s all good and fair to correct the article and apologise – if the error is genuine, that is commendable.

In Malaysia, media organisations have a habit of just removing the posts. This time, there was a corrected version but I have noted in the past that organisations just delete a post when informed of inaccuracy or that they were wrong.

What I’d like to see is content remaining at the original URL with the apology as well as a note specifying what the correction is and more importantly, what was corrected. Some news organisations in other countries do this already, right down to noting a simple typo or misspelling of names.

I suggest this because the fact is that these links will remain forever embedded on these networks, and people react to statuses (and share them). So even if I have corrected someone or posted the link to the correction, other people can still share the status. What would be good is that if anyone who clicks on that article (even if it is the original inaccurate one) will then see the corrected version.

This way, we have record of what has happened, we note the remedy and we also acknowledge future readers.

We cannot function on social media believing that we only exist within our own spaces/platforms – the article may no longer be on The Malay Mail Online but its link, headline and perhaps some of the text will exist continually on the Internet.

p/s I’d love to hear any other suggestions on dealing with the problems I noted in this post if you have any!

And what an adventure it has been. It’s been a riot (I mean, you guys are pretty funny), mental (hello, stage managing your 10th anniversary revue show?) and turbulent (I was literally there when the authorities shut down a couple of your shows – or tried to play censor). Most of all, it’s been 16 years of amazing friendships that have stemmed from working with you folks.

I remember as a kid when both my sisters took on part time work as front-of-house crew for ICT shows and I was too young to attend (my sisters also didn’t want an annoying brother there so they pacified me with autographed programmes, which I still have – how much would I get them for on eBay?). Who’d have thought that some years later, I would be involved in the shows (quite a few over the years) myself!

My first foray in Malaysian theatre was as Assistant Stage Manager to Jit Murad’s Gold Rain and Hailstones, directed by Zahim Albakri and starring Jit and Lin Jaafar. Dramalab, which was presented the show, was born from Instant Cafe. For those of you old enough to remember (ahem), you’d remember that Jo Kukathas, Zahim, Jit and one strange white man called Andrew Leci together with some of the amazing talents Malaysia have who continue to thrill and excite us now were the people behind the famed ICT Revue shows.

Not many people locally have been able to recreate what they have – with all due respect to some of my friends, I have not seen the wit, class and finesse in satirical comedy done as well as the ICT folks have. It’s a shame we don’t get to see much more of it anymore. Having said that, the performing arts scene has changed over the years, and so has audience tastes.

But it’s not just the political satire and comedy that Instant Cafe has gifted to our country – and yes, it was, and to me, remains a national institution – some of the most memorable theatre performances I’ve watched in Malaysia were productions from ICT – Gold Rain and Hailstones and Shanon Shah’s Aircon to name a couple.

So next week, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, I will be heading to the Nov 30 fundraising night. Tickets are RM200 and RM500 (I can’t afford the latter unfortunately) and goes to support both its new production Raj and the End of Tragedy (written by Jo Kukathas!) as well as the company who have spent the better part of the last decade bringing us amazing new original works.

It would be great if you could contribute and attend the fundraising night so that many more young people continue to get the ICT experiences that the 18-year-old me did. But details on the whole run (opens Nov 27) is available here.

I’ll leave you with this note from the company.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Instant Cafe Theatre turns 25 on 1st Dec. So join us for the Sun Nov 30 8.30pm show – for our fundraising night. We are raising funds to support part of the cost of this production and our ongoing work to create and nurture Malaysian theatre. Tickets are priced at RM200 and RM500. Audiences will also be invited to a surprise birthday party for ICT later that night at a location to be disclosed later (surprise!). To purchase the fundraising tickets, please email ictfundraising@gmail.com or call +6017 747 1135 or +6016 286 1313.

I hope to see you on the 30th. My experiences working with Instant Cafe has helped shaped the person I am today for which I am grateful (and for the amazing friendships as well that I have developed over the way). I just wonder if I’ll ever achieve my lifelong dream of performing in one of its shows.

2.54pm Malaysian time (+8 GMT)

]]>http://blog.nikicheong.com/supporting-instant-cafe-theatre-company-25-years-on.html/feed1iGot a new phonehttp://blog.nikicheong.com/igot-a-new-phone.html
http://blog.nikicheong.com/igot-a-new-phone.html#commentsFri, 14 Nov 2014 07:50:36 +0000http://blog.nikicheong.com/?p=4712Pardon the intentional murder of grammar in the headline. It is for effect.

On Monday night, I had just returned from Singapore and got a great surprise. At 9pm, the DHL delivery guy rang my doorbell and I knew what had arrived – my latest Apple gadget. I’ve been tracking the delivery status all weekend with anticipation while in Singapore and thought that I had to wait till Tuesday, as there was still no notice of delivery when I landed in KL.

In fact, the surprise was so great that I fell so ill that night and was pretty much deactivated till the end of the week. I couldn’t even find the energy to get out of my bed, let alone sit in front of my computer to blog about it.

I was excited about this for several reasons:

1. I had totally skipped the iPhone 5 (for the first time in my life) and my 4s was getting extremely laggy (not to mention I broke the glass at the back just a few weeks ago).

2. This is the first iPhone I have purchased that is not an “s” edition, other than the first ever iPhone that was released (which I made my parents bring in for me from the US all those years ago).

3. It’s my first “new” Apple product in a while – I did purchase an iPad Mini late last year but that was to replace the one I had left on a plane during on of my 50×50 My Malaysia trips. Before that was two years ago when my flat in London got broken into and I had to replace my Macbook. While these were all new items, they were replacements for existing items I had before.

4. It was a total impulsive purchase (I woke up on Nov 6 and checked to see if it was available to order and did it, when it was – I still don’t know yet how I’m going to pay for it).

5. It’s shiny and new!

Usually, when I get a new Apple product, I’d do an unboxing video (you can view my iMac one here, my Macbook Pro here and my iPhone 4S here). I’m a little over those kinds of videos so I’ll just put photos up instead.

This post is really just a record for me, I suppose. I know when I purchased all my gadgets by looking back at when I made a video or blog about it! But I wanted to share some observations about the new phone. I don’t want to get dragged into the which-phone-is-better debate (because, seriously, my choice lah which phone I prefer) so I’ll just compare it to my older iPhones.

1. The size is fantastic. I was initially skeptical and worried it would be too big but it’s been a week of using it. It feels nice in my hands, fits perfectly and I can do everything I used to do with one hand anyway (yes, yes, laugh at the double entendre, you naughty people).

2. It’s fast. Like it feels double the speed of my 4S.

3. I love that it’s gone back a bit to its roots – my favourite design has always been the original iPhone and this one is reminiscent of that.

4. It’s crazy light. Even with my leather case and a screen protector, it feels lighter than my 4S, which is much smaller.

5. The screen! The screen! I accidentally picked up my 4S this morning and had to squint to look at the icons. Only when I realised it was weird that I remembered I have a new phone.

6. TouchID is so convenient.

7. And the photo quality is so much better. Compare the shot below taken with the 6 to the other photos in this post taken with the 4S. I suppose skipping the 5 made the leap extremely significant.

So, just a final word on why I chose the 6 compared to the 6 Plus. For one, I mentioned earlier my reservation about the phone already being too big. But I had flown down to Singapore the afternoon after I ordered it and met a friend at an Apple retailer in the evening and checked them both out. I had my fingers crossed that I made the right decision – and upon seeing the 6 Plus, I know I made the right choice.

My friend Colin Charles had blogged about why he chose the Plus. I can totally see why he made his choice. In the end it comes down to individual preferences and usage. I suppose I do most of my reading on my iPad Mini so I didn’t think I needed such a big phone. The only reading I do on my phone is usually tweets and Facebook (occasionally opening the links) so the 6 is perfect. I don’t watch much videos as well on my 3G (I guess I have LTE now?).

Colin also posted something else about storage size. I’ve finally upgraded – I stayed at 32 for a long time and never actually used it up. This time I went for the 64gb. I figured with the improvement of technology (photos etc) that I’d need slightly bigger space but I think 128gb is a bit excessive for my usage. Most of my books, movies and PDFs are stored on my iPad anyway.

Last word on this. Why I’m also really happy with the device so far is that my whole ecosystem still works. Yes, I am aware of the dangers of being locked into an ecosystem but for the moment, it is so effective and my iMac, Macbook Air, iPad Mini and iPhone 6 really work seamlessly and compliment each other for my different usage requirements.